by Marc Saltzman, Special for USA TODAY

by Marc Saltzman, Special for USA TODAY

The seminal arcade racing game is back, and this time it's faster, prettier and more open-ended.

Developed by Criterion Games, Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a cops-versus-street-racers challenge that lets you hop into exotic vehicles to burn asphalt throughout the fictional Fairhaven City.

In the lengthy single-player game, the first few missions - including "Keys to the City" and "Continental Drift" - give you a good taste of how the licensed cars handle on the roads, along with the sensation of serious speed, drifting around corners and seeking out shortcuts (and jumps) to get an edge over the stiff competition.

If you cause too much damage while vying for the finish line, you'll find yourself pursued by the police and must shake them.

Place first, second or third to rack up points that can be spent on modding (modifying) your ride. Score enough points and you'll earn the ability to take on 10 of the hottest cars in the game, to climb the ranks of the "Most Wanted."

On that note, instead of having to wait to drive the cars you want - which is how most car racing games work - practically every car is available from the get-go here. The game's motto is "if you can find it, you can drive it." You're rewarded for venturing out in Fairhaven and hopping into a new car. Customize your ride with a number of performance upgrades. Mods include powerful nitrous to give you a quick speed burst, better tires, improved protection from impact and a reinforced chassis. Too bad there aren't cosmetic upgrades, but these 100-odd cars do look sweet already, especially the European sports cars.

Among fun modes to try: "Ambush," where you need to escape from the Fairhaven police department on your tail; "Sprint Race," which challenges you to reach the finish line and all the checkpoints along the way; "Circuit Race," for multiple laps around the city; and "Speed Run," where you're vying to reach and maintain the highest average speed against your rivals. It's a blast to scream down freeways and city streets at 200 miles per hour, cutting off competitors and earning points to trick out your cars even more.

Online multiplayer bumps up the fun even further, but be aware you need to sign up for Electronic Arts' Origin game service to play against others. It's free, but mandatory, and some gamers aren't thrilled about it (this is on top of the Xbox Live or PlayStation Network service). You can then challenge friends to games or a number of consecutive events. You can also compare your skills with others thanks to EA's Autolog 2.0 technology that displays all of your stats - including times, record speeds, pursuits, jump distances, achievements, and more.

Right from the opening credits you'll get a sense of the game's high-definition graphics, sleek animated menus and a great soundtrack. Criterion did an extraordinary job on the game's high production values. Seeing some of the slow-motion crash scenes might evoke memories of EA's Burnout racing series, which seems to be an influence here - and that's a good thing.

Overall, Need For Speed: Most Wanted is a visceral thrill. Not only do you get to race and modify many different dream cars and evade the police for points and prestige, but it's an open world with a number of areas, collectibles and game modes to explore.